


Acceptance

by Oldine



Series: Alders [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family Drama, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 14:41:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14380788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oldine/pseuds/Oldine
Summary: A puzzling extortion attempt has the team wondering what they missed.





	1. Chapter 1

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

** Wednesday, August 3, 2021 **

Trying to balance work and a complicated relationship had it’s moments. Ianto Jones stepped into his and Jack’s flat as Jack left the bathroom partly dressed. Answering Jack’s mobile had been a mistake. Expecting a problem, Ianto grabbed it without checking the screen. Cory provided a reasonable excuse. He knew about the relationship and agreement. The problem was that Cory was a secret Jack hadn’t managed to keep.

“Cory called.” 

“You answered?” Jack walked over to his clothes for spare clothes.

“Yeah. He has information about a case, and wants to meet in person.” Ianto knew it was possibly the truth.

Jack nodded. “Did he say when?”

“No. I told him to text the details.” It was an awkward enough conversation. 

Jack gave it a moment before turning and holding out his hand. Ianto walked over and accepted it. Ignoring it wasn’t healthy. But neither was the conflict before they discussed their differences. They wanted very different things. After too many arguments, they compromised. He had to accept that Jack had no interest in long-term monogamy. Ianto wondered sometimes if he’d asked too much. Jack had to compartmentalize his life, forcing him to treat a part of his personality like a dirty secret. Ianto set his forehead against Jack’s shoulder. He kissed the top of Ianto’s head.

“I found your mobile in your office.” Ianto shouldn’t have answered, he reminded himself. “Tosh called me about a water sample. I was looking for you.”

Jack released Ianto. “From where?” He started dressing.

“Dublin. A docked ship tested positive for the parasites from the Atlantic crash last December. It’s last port was Cardiff.” Ianto needed to check the files. From what he remembered, it had to be intentional contamination. It wouldn’t have gone unnoticed for months, and the source had been contained.

“Who’s handling it?”

“London. Doctor Kindra Corse will investigate.” Ianto wasn’t sure how to explain the complication.

Jack grabbed his shirt. “What’s the problem?”

“Gwen needs to coordinate. Corse had a very bad experience with a male co-worker or boss before joining Torchwood. Owen off-handedly called her darling and she reported him for sexual harassment.” If she could mistake Owen’s attitude for sexual interest, she would definitely react badly to Jack.

“It can’t interfere with the Moss-Probert investigation.”

Ianto nodded. “I can deal with Dr. Corse, if needed.” 

“Are we good?”

“Yep.” Ianto left before he had to think of something else to say.

 

Jack Harkness waited until the door closed to reach for his mobile. Cory had contacts throughout London. When he provided information, it usually came from overhearing conversations. Both his clients and lovers were socially and politically powerful. 

The call rang twice. “Jack?” Cory asked tentatively.

“Yeah. What did you need?” 

“To confirm plans. For tonight.” Cory paused. “I made the reservation.”

Jack had no idea what that meant. It suggested Cory wasn’t alone. “Send me the details.”

He lowered his voice. “Will anyone be checking your messages? It’s a hotel.”

Confused, Jack asked, “Why?” The few times they met for sex, he made arrangements. He doubted it involved the promised dinner in London. That probably would have landed them in bed without demands. 

“It’s private.”

“Be careful.” The conversation made Jack suspicious. If nothing else, Cory was consistent. Providing information, particularly if there was something in it for him, wasn’t unusual. Scheduling meetings in hotel rooms and refusing to explain why didn’t make sense.

“You too.” The call ended.

Jack did not look forward to explaining it. Best case scenario he could quietly meet with Cory. Jack wished, not for the first time, he could simply tell Ianto. But the conversation would devolve. One more thing they avoided to keep the peace. He had no idea how they made it more then ten years.

 

While tracking Moss-Probert, Gwen Cooper found an extensive network of questionable and illegal businesses. Half or more was unrelated distractions. Fraud, identity theft, and petty crimes. It looked like someone was throwing every small time criminal under the bus in an effort to distract her.

Gwen moved into the science lab and had dozens of searches running at the same time. Armed with advice from Tosh, she was trying to set-up the person targeting her investigation. She needed someone with vice and white collar experience. There had to be a logic behind it. But she needed a frame of reference to find it.

The door opened and Anwen entered. After the attack on the building, she stated home from daycare. More than the safety concerns, there were issues with her brain scans. Whatever she did to that alien affected her. The Rift energy had thankfully faded. 

“I thought you were in the garden.”

Anwen groaned. “Audrey needs to be feed.”

Gwen smiled. The carnivorous plant had an attitude problem. “Did you tell Ianto?”

“I was going to.” Anwen moved over to her mother. “But something upset him. I think he had an argument with Uncle Jack.”

That was nothing new. Gwen wondered at times why they stayed together. Then she’d remember her and Rhys kept having stupid arguments. “Do you have something to read?”

“No. Uncle Ianto gave me a computer with a content filter. It flagged the horse sites for discussing where foals come from.” Anwen held out the tablet.

Gwen laughed and accepted it. “Have you looked for digital library books?”

Unamused, Anwen said, “The  age appropriate books say horses have four legs and eat hay.” Pause. “See Trigger Run.” 

“You could always do your homework.” 

“I’m still traumatized.”

“Uh, huh.” Gwen nodded. “Find Ianto and have him feed the plants.” She held up the tablet. “Then we can discuss books that weren’t written for preschoolers.”

 

Anwen Williams walked back toward the garden. She didn’t know how to easily find Ianto. She eyed the black band on her wrist. John said it was connected to the hub. Maybe it could help. There had to be safeties to keep her from damaging something. No one would give a kid the technology to disrupt a Torchwood office. At least she didn’t think so.

Anwen walked over to the nearest access panel and flipped open her wrist-strap. Nothing happened. As far as she knew, the computer didn’t accept voice commands. She had see her mother touch the screen to access information. With that in mind, she reached forward and touched the panel.

The computer announced, “Anwen Williams. Access granted.”

She stared at it, trying to remember if she heard the computer talk before. “Show hub map.” An image appeared on the screen. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn’t a three dimensional Atlas. “There aren’t that many Torchwood offices,” she muttered.

The screen changed showing an unfamiliar icon and Torchwood Global. “Sign out, director?” The computer asked.

“Yes.” Anwen withdrew her hand. When the screen went black again, she spoke into her wrist-strap. “Jack Harkness.”

“Anwen?” Jack asked after a short pause. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I figured out what my wrist-strap does,” she stammered.

“Where are you?”

Anwen described it the best she could. 


	2. Chapter 2

** Near Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales **

Steven Carter set groceries on the kitchen counter. Anwen used to joke that grocery shopping and running errands in Cardiff was dangerous. Whenever someone targeted tad-cu he was at Asda or picking up Jack’s dry cleaning. He was once stabbed in a toy store buying presents for his nieces and nephews. 

“Problem?” John walked toward the coffeemaker. 

“I was followed by two women with contemporary tech.” Steven started unpacking groceries. “They kept following me knowing they’d been seen. One waved.”

“Hot?”

Steven hesitated a moment. “Seriously?”

John shrugged. “Government? Corporation?”

“I don’t know.” Steven had an idea. He hoped it was paranoia.

“Who?” John poured coffee in a mustang mug.

“The Sisters.”

“Say they were. Why?”

Steven wondered that himself. “The obvious? They’re already watching Anwen.”

“They could have noticed the Rift activity.” John stared at the counter while he thought. “Or we’ve missed something.” 

“The intel has been shit.”

“The Sisters stayed under Torchwood radar until they revealed themselves to Anwen.” John sipped his coffee. “They worship the Rift. They would operate in Cardiff.”

Steven wondered if it was that simple. “They could have psychics like The Refuge.”

“Or Moss-Probert caught there attention. Charon doesn’t show up unless a situation is bad.”

What did that leave? Steven wondered. “We have Rift energy and chronons. We caught their attention.”

John grabbed a chocolate bar Steven just unpacked. “Were they hot?”

“Obsessive, anti-male, homicidal.”

“And?” John shrugged. He carried his mug over to the table. “You need to get laid.”

Steven shook his head slightly and hoped John wasn’t serious. It was hard to tell at times. Particularly when he offered advice that was too personal. With all the stress, it had been too long. Once they had a handle on the situation, Steven needed to find someone. Who didn’t ask too many questions. He didn’t look forward to that. What was the point of a relationship built on lies?

“The Mirage sounds interesting. Local club.” 

“You’ve been looking up clubs?” 

“Yeah.” John sounded amused. “We’ve been here long enough you’re looking good.”

Steven closed his eyes. He needed time to unwind soon.

 

** Torchwood Three **

At some point, Jack Harkness knew he needed to sit down with Anwen and explain how wrist-straps worked. If he had any doubts about why it couldn’t be removed, finding out she could access the hub resolved them. He would have taken it and placed it in a containment unit for storage. Even she thought it was too dangerous for a kid to have.

“I get a different layout than Ianto showed me.” Anwen handed him a tablet.

Jack accepted the tablet and it immediately signed Anwen out. Unless John was behind it somehow, there had to be a valid reason for the security procedures. Or the changes were made by an unstable control freak. Jack handled the computer back.

“Access it again.”

Anwen quickly signed back in and found the alternative facility map again. She held it up, gripping the tablet too tightly. “Doesn’t this make me a target?”

“Only if you tell someone,” Jack said, distracted by trying to memorize the map. Instruct Anwen to move the image so he could see more than would fit on the screen added to the frustration. “Select the room with the Global icon.”

Anwen turned the tablet and tapped the screen. “It must not be like Ianto’s map.”

“I need to check the room.” 

Finding it was simple enough. Even without Anwen’s map, he would have questioned the reinforced door. A wrist-strap scan showed it was shielded. Previously, he could open every door and access every system. With what he knew and suspected of the changes, that had been transferred to Anwen. Even if a future version of her made the changes, that didn’t make sense. Why would the head of Torchwood give that type of authority to a nine year old? Even factoring in the ego and arrogance needed for the job, she had to know how dangerous that was. He was missing something.

“Can you open the door?” Jack asked.

Anwen flipped open her wrist-strap, and reached for the door handle. The lock disengaged with a click. She then tugged the door. Jack grabbed it, pulling it back far enough to move in front of it and prop it open. Then he scanned the room. 

“What is it?” Anwen asked, flipping her strap closed.

An impressive mainframe computer. He couldn’t access it, but the system hardware was incredible. From Anwen’s description of the icon, he wondered if it was a copy of a future Torchwood database. That could be incredibly useful, if they could access it.

“A future computer.” Jack closed the door.

“What’s going on?” Anwen crossed her arms. The stress was getting to her even if she wasn’t admitting it. “This isn’t a stupid movie for kids.”

“You weren’t expected to access the system.” It was the best explanation Jack had and it didn’t work. 

 

Using his new office, Ianto Jones checked the computer presets. The so-called upgrades disrupted the entire system. Part of the changes worked; part of them didn’t. It appeared random, increasing Ianto’s suspicion. Best case scenario, it forced him to review everything manually. Twenty minutes into the tedious project, he was glad he took the time. Two problems stood out. 

The government altered it’s software recently without notifying them. He had to reestablish the hub’s access. Then check PD. It looked good. Suspecting it would be next, he set-up notifications if they lost access to any of the databases. 

That left John. Ianto had no idea why anyone would give John remote access to the hub. Ianto clearly remembered John pointing a gun at his head and taunting him. After Miracle Day, it wasn’t a worry anymore, but he remembered the fear of dying. And the desperate drive to get to the others in time. Gray or no Gray, John brought nothing but death and destruction. Cutting off his access took effort, and creativity, but it would keep him out of the system.

Then the computer chimed. Ianto tapped the notification icon. “Feed me, Seymour.” He groaned. Someone gave the computer a disturbed sense of humor. A quick scan of the garden showed the carnivorous plants were hungry. And Audry shorted out the energy barrier again. 

Ianto eyed the work bench as he walked passed it. Maybe the new agent, whoever he or she was, would know how to prevent the plant from disabling the garden security system. Or could at least help him feed John to it, Ianto thought as he walked into the hall.


	3. Chapter 3

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

A recurring theme bothered Gwen Cooper as she sifted Moss-Probert possibilities. The fake criminal connections were little known offenders and difficult to research. She needed to access more than one law enforcement database to get enough details to rule out a suspect. It might mean the people she was actually looking for were hidden because their known criminal activities were minimal and wouldn’t be identified through law enforcement. If that were true, the people interfering with her investigation had knowledge of police procedure.

Reassessing the suspects required solid criteria. Gwen needed to know what she was looking for first. She sat back staring at her screen. The employee backgrounds led nowhere. Not even additional Moss-Probert facilities. The only family member flagged was a Middle Eastern grandmother and her supposed terrorist connections were fabricated. 

Except the information came from law enforcement. That was a place to start. Assume the official background checks were fake. Gwen reached for her keyboard. Finding the employee list was simple enough. Then it occurred to her that even that came from law enforcement. Along with victim identification. She needed alternative information sources. If the information received was inaccurate, it would confirm her suspicious.

Tax records sounded like a good starting place. Gwen attempted to access files, intending to use Moss-Probert as search criteria. Employing people without the proper paperwork raised suspicions. If the company ran unethical or illegal human research trials, they definitely wanted to avoid extra questions. An error message said the system was down. While that was possible, she found it suspicious. Then a new notification announced the system was no longer connected to the government network.

Got you, Gwen thought, reaching for an ear piece. She placed it quickly and tapped it. “Jack, I found something.”

 

After listening to the conversation over the ear coms, Ianto Jones had an idea. A paranoid one. But it fit with what they knew. He entered Jack’s office from the back. He stood by the windows lost on thought. Ianto crossed the room wondering the best way to say what he had in mind.

“I have a theory.”

Jack kept his eyes on the main floor and reached for Ianto’s hand.

“The hub remodel and Anwen’s wrist-strap gives you indirect control of the Torchwood network. London can’t blame Anwen, she’s nine. If your future self did it, you would have control.” Ianto twined their fingers together. “The wrist-strap is permanently attached and DNA encoded.” Pause. “After what happened in the building, it would be difficult to abduct or control her.”

“A power play. It guarantees Anwen regains control of Torchwood.”

Ianto smiled. “It’s what you would do.”

“Say you’re right. How is John involved?” Jack shook his head slightly. “When we were partners with the Time Agency, we were assigned to work together because I could control him.” Pause. “Sending him on a long-term mission by himself is disaster.”

“She sent someone with him?” 

Jack nodded. “There was a man at the pub. When I met with John. He looked familiar. When I spoke to him, he tried to cover knowing me by acting dumb.”

“If he’s from the future, you knew him when he was younger. You said John came from 2049. He would be thirty years older.”

Jack smiled. “No. He looked about forty. He would be forty-six in 2049. He’s sixteen right now.”

Sixteen. It took Ianto a moment. “Steven?” That wouldn’t be a pleasant situation with Alyce. 

“If I’m right, there is another person with them. Or she found a different way to control John.”

A different thought came to mind. “If Anwen, or whoever, change the past, wouldn’t that essentially be committing suicide?”

Jack motioned sorta with his hand. “There is a theory that parallel universes are created by every major decision. If there were two options, then the choice created two universes. In one universe John went back in time and destroyed the time line. In the other universe he didn’t.”

“The woman who sent John back in time committed suicide.”

“Or she was already dead.”

“Say the goal is to change the past to save the future.” Time travel gave Ianto a headache. “Why didn’t they tell us what we needed to change?”

Jack shrugged. 

 

Near Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales

Eye candy, John Hart thought and growled in frustration. Ianto was a pain in the arse. John had files to update and couldn’t access them. It was possible his notifications had been shut off. He had no choice but to access Global on-site, and rig a workaround. Using Global to override the hub would cause problems.

“Problem?” Steven asked from the kitchen.

“The urge to throttle Ianto.”

Steven laughed. “Tad-cu blocked your access?”

John set the tablet down harder than he intended. “I was very specific about concealing our remote access.” He shook his head. “Only an idiot would underestimate Ianto’s control over the hub.”

“Wait until they leave for the day,” Steven said. “You can check the upgrades.”

“That means you have to run the diagnostics on the building.”

Steven shrugged. “It’s something to do.”

John stood and stretched. “Do we need anything?”

“A better looking roommate.”

“You need to more open-minded.” John laughed. 

Steven threw a towel at him. 

John caught it. “That bar you were looking at has ladies’ night on Wednesdays. Find one.”

Steven looked ready to argue.

“The first thing you grabbed to throw was a knife.” 

“Yeah,” Steven said apologetically, looking down at the counter.

The stress was getting to them. They needed downtime away from each other and stress relief. It was an impossible situation to adapt to. And as much as they discussed blending into the world after securing the hub, it wasn’t going to happen. Sooner or later, they would both self-destruct. For different reasons. John wanted to believe he could keep his promises. He doubted even Anwen believed that. It was a matter of time before he reverted. Steven’s only chance was to approach Jack and find a way to reconnect with Torchwood. Jack and Ianto would accept him.


	4. Chapter 4

** Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol; Cardiff, Wales **

The stylish hotel was set back from the road concealing it’s car park and lawns from people passing by. Jack Harkness parked Ianto’s car in the back. Years earlier, he spent a memorable weekend in the hotel with an open-minded group. While it catered to people wanting privacy, it was an odd meeting place.

Cory opened the door looking extremely nervous or scared. It definitely wasn’t about sex. Jack followed him down the hall to a staircase and up two floors. Opening the door took two tries; his hands shook inserting the pass key. Jack reached forward and opened the door. Cory almost fell from the unexpected movement.

“Explain,” Jack said as they entered. Then closed the door behind him.

“A businessman wanted to arrange a quick event.” Cory walked over to the mini bar. “For an information. He said he wanted to network. There was a problem with a business competitor and he needed information quickly.” Cory opened a small bottle. “When he found out I knew you…” Then drank it.

Jack crossed the room slowly. “What were you asked to do?”

“Make a video. If I got it, then I would get money. I was instructed to hide the camera and…” Cory reached for another bottle. 

Jack took it away from him. “What did he threaten to do?”

“He said he had one of Jonah’s grandkids.”

That explained Cory’s nerves. Under most circumstances, he would have kept his cool. But he loved Jonah. They were together for two years when he died. “Who’s the businessman?” Jack wondered how anyone knew about Jonah. It wasn’t a secret at the time, but they didn’t broadcast. Several years had passed since he died.

“Percy Heitt.” Cory leaned on the mini bar. “He’s British and based in Russia.”

Jack set a hand lightly on Cory’s back. “What kind of proof did he give?”

“Pictures.” Cory fumbled his phone handing it over. 

“When do you need to deliver the video?” Jack flipped through the pictures. It looked like homemade bondage porn. Something someone unfamiliar with bondage might not realize.

“Tomorrow morning.”

“I need his name and any information on where he might be, if he’s safe.”

Cory closed his eyes and lowered his head. “The video wouldn’t disrupt your life. Your reputation… It wouldn’t…”

It would upset Ianto. Jack had no idea why anyone would go through the effort to disrupt their relationship. But extorting a blackmail tape was extreme. Even if the photographs were fake and the young man was safe. A good detective could prove intent. The goal might even be discrediting Cory. If it got out he created a sex tape and released it, his reputation would be ruined.

“If I thought making the video would help, I would.” Jack lightly kissed the top of Cory’s head. “I need to make calls.”

 

** Torchwood Three **

Gwen Cooper entered the hub. Jack’s explanation hadn’t made a lot of sense. He wouldn’t lie about a possible hostage situation, but he hadn’t told her everything. The fact that he insisted she return to the hub instead of Ianto added to her suspicion. 

“I’m here,” she said, using an ear com.

“I sent you a picture for Internet facial and photo recognition. Ideally, it’s homemade porn.”

Porn? That really made Gwen wonder as she walked over to a workstation. “The alternative?”

“Proof of hostage.”

Gwen sat and reached for the keyboard. “I need to know what’s going on.”

Jack quickly summarized the situation with Cory. “I already called Owen. He’s searching for the man. Tosh is trying to trace the sender.”

Gwen booted the computer. “You’re hoping the pictures are available online.” That would quickly invalidate the proof. “What if this is a hostage situation?”

“Then we have until morning to find him.”

“Sleazy revenge? Is Cory involved with the man missing?” Gwen started typing.

“His grandfather. The man died several years ago.”

“Ugh.” Gwen did not need that image. “Could the possible hostage be involved?”

“I doubt it.”

“I’m bringing up the images now.” Gwen grimaced. “Bondage porn?”

Jack tried for humor. “It could be worse.”

“Yeah. Then you would be doing the online comparison searches.” She transferred the first one to recognition software. Unlike civilian software, it performed significant analysis and took a couple minutes to process. “Entered.” A rotating circle showed the process was running.

 

Halfway down the hall to the front, John Hart heard typing. He stopped and listened. The conversation was puzzling. It sounded like Gwen was discussing online porn with Jack. John quietly turned and walked back down the hall. The last thing he needed was a confrontation. After what happened the first time he was in Cardiff, and the last, she wasn’t going to forgive him and he couldn’t blame her.

John returned to the office hoping Gwen had no reason to use it. The extra desk and work bench offered a place to work. He used it earlier to fix the garden ballistic shields securing the carnivorous plants. If his Anwen could see him completing Ianto’s to-do list, she’d laugh. 

John touched the ring through his shirt and closed his eyes. He could still remember the sound of her laugher. Tears welled in his eyes. “I miss you,” he whispered. And wiped the tears from his eyes. Get it together, he told himself, moving over to the extra desk. 

The tablet clicked on as John sat. He reached for it, suspected it recognized his wrist-strap. A notification flashed on the screen. That was new. He tapped it. The hub had been cut off from multiple databases. It looked like Ianto anticipated the problem.

Using his wrist-strap, John remote accessed the hub computer, and started running a diagnostic. He doubted it was a problem with the hub. It wasn’t. He then checked Ianto’s notes for the new notifications. He found a problem with the government system and anticipated more. John doubted it was an accident. Ianto’s reaction said he questioned it also.

One incident was potentially an accident. Unlikely, but possible. Twice made it suspicious. From the notification log, it happened repeatedly. Someone with administrative control to the various databases didn’t want Torchwood having access. 

How do I fix it? John asked himself. Jack had to have something to force compliance. John used the tablet to find Ianto’s inventory. It took a few minutes, but they had several options. One stood out. It wouldn’t fix the problem, but it would reveal the cause. That would take all night.

“Steven Carter.”

“No problem with the diagnostic.”

“I’m not checking,” John said. “Gwen is here. I need to fix a database access problem. The hub is being blocked intentionally.”

Steven groaned. “Including PD?”

“Yeah.”

“Call me paranoid,” Steven said. “But Jack is out. Gwen is out. Leaving tad-cu in the building with Rhys and Anwen.” He didn’t need to say it. “Even Torchwood London thinks tad-cu is a joke right now.”

“Where are you?”

“At the flat. Preparing to go to that bar.” From his tone, Steven already knew his plans had changed.

“Take an extra nanogene vial.”

“Yeah. Prep the nanogene station. It’s too soon to use it again.” Steven quickly added, “The ability grew over time. By the time you met her, she was a demi-god. This Anwen has got a long way to go.”


	5. Chapter 5

** Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales **

Ianto Jones knew it was going to be a long night. Whatever Cory wanted, it wasn’t what Ianto originally thought. He wished he knew why Gwen was called to the hub. He could have done the research from Jack’s flat. Unless he anticipated the hub losing access again. Why are you keeping a Torchwood investigation secret? Ianto wondered, frustrated. 

His mobile rang. He set his coffee mug back on the kitchen counter and answered it. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Ianto hadn’t intended to sound angry.

“Rhys and Anwen are coming upstairs,” Jack said. “Do you still have maintenance bots in the building?”

“Yeah.” Ianto found they could repair furnishings and clean. 

“The situation with Cory appears to be a fake extortion attempt. I will give you the details later. I need to stay here in case it’s not fake. Gwen is coordinating with Owen and Tosh.”

That did not sound good. “We’re keeping it in house?” 

“Yeah,” Jack hesitated as if trying to decide how much to say. “With the hub access malfunctioning, you might not get police notifications.”

Ianto nodded. He needed to focus on the immediate problem. “Another attempt on Anwen?” A thought occurred to him. “Why is someone trying to abduct her? They know about the wrist-strap but not the ability?”

“Doubtful. Either they want leverage. Or to disrupt the office.” Jack’s tone changed, really making Ianto wonder what he wasn’t being told.

The door opened and Rhys entered followed by Anwen. “They’re here.” Ianto wondered if Gwen gave Rhys the details. 

“I will be home as soon as I can.”

 

** Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol **

Jack Harkness sat on the edge of the bed. Cory had his knees pulled to his chest and his head down. It didn’t take much to see he still loved Jonah. When he died, he left Cory enough money to start his business and maintain his lifestyle. More consideration than some gave their spouses nevertheless a much younger lover.

“All the pictures are available online.” Jack lightly set a hand on Cory’s knee. “Tosh suspects they were altered to pass facial recognition.” 

Cory nodded. “He’s safe?”

“According to social media, he’s in Switzerland. We’re checking.” An unofficial investigation required using the Internet and informal contacts. A friend of Owen’s worked for Rega mountain rescue and agreed to do a welfare check.

“Jonah’s father has a chalet in the Alps. We spent time there.”

Jack knew Cory was in no shape to answer questions. But they needed information. And Jack had no idea where to get it quickly. “I need your help.” He squeezed Cory’s knee gently. “What does Heitt want?”

Cory shook his head. “I don’t know. When we talked about the event, it sounded like he wanted discreet business discussions. Immediately. And offered a lot of money.” He sighed. “He sounded desperate.”

“When did he call?”

“A week ago.”

“After the building explosion in Cardiff?”

Cory looked up, meeting Jack’s eyes. “How would that lead to this?”

“We’re having problems tracking the company. Could Heitt want information about Torchwood?”

“Possibly.” Cory hadn’t considered it. “This would have to be a set-up to observe your response. It could explain the extortion. Predicting my reaction would be simple if those involved had the right information.”

Jack flipped open his wrist-strap. He scanned the room earlier, but he was looking for advanced technology. Not contemporary surveillance equipment. It required checking for different anomalies. The cameras were part of the design and wired into the building.

“Why did you chose this location?”

“A few years ago there was a scandal here. An American politician and prostitutes. It took a lot to keep it out of the media.” Cory shrugged. “For appearances, it’s a good place to make a sex tape.”

 

** Near Hughes Flats **

Annoyed by the change of plans, Steven Carter reluctantly headed back to the building. When he joined Torchwood, he wanted to make a difference. His mother’s parents met working for Torchwood. He had no idea what he was getting into. At this point, nothing should surprise him. Repeated attempts to abduct a nine-year-old was surprising. Even after everything. If it happened in the original time line, Anwen should have mentioned it.

Then Stephen saw movement. He stopped, watched and waited. The building was under observation. After a few minutes, he realized the person was a small woman. While it was possible she was part of an abduction attempt or surveillance, he wondered if she was one of the Sisters. 

Footsteps in the other direction caught his attention. Stephen turned, unsure what to expect. Another woman approached. The way she moved suggested she made noise on purpose. She wore an amused expression that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“We’re on the same side of this,” she said quietly.

“Of what?”

“A possible abduction attempt.” She didn’t think it was likely. “Two military-looking guys are watching the building. They have some type of technology, but it’s doubtful they can breach security.”

If he could believer her, Stephen thought, the men were watching for someone to arrive. If they set off the alarm, it would be reasonable to assume anyone in the area would come running. That suggested they were interested in viewing the response

“I’m Eilene by the way.” She could just as easily be involved. Underestimating an attractive woman had gotten more than one person killed, Torchwood agents including.

“Steven.” Pause. “How did you know about this?”

Eilene shrugged. “I hear things.”

“Did you hear who’s behind it?”

“Moss-Probert. We’ve heard rumors for years. After the research facility was destroyed, Percy Heitt, the boss, fled to Russia.” Eilene smiled. “Captain Harkness has that effect.”

That didn’t explain the current situation. “What does he want with the building?”

“We’re not sure. He might want leverage.” Pause. “The company is searching for the survivors from the facility.”

Good luck, Steven thought. If anyone looking found Charon or the Refuge it wouldn’t end well.


	6. Chapter 6

** Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales **

Gwen Cooper checked CCTV footage. Tracking Cory from the hotel to the M4 didn’t take much effort. Comparing cars trying to find someone that might have been following him took more effort. While she couldn’t guarantee it, it made sense. Whether the hostage situation was legit or not, the people behind it went to the effort to set it up. They would want to monitor the results.

More then an hour later, she had two cars. They followed Cory from London and then took turns tailing him through Cardiff. Both parked within blocks of the hotel. The drivers, both men, were sitting in a pub. Without a direct view, they either bugged Cory’s car or the room.

Running the number plates took longer then it should have. The hub lost it’s connection to the police database. She pulled up the notification logs. It was a recurring problem. What caught her attention was the repair logs. Someone had corrected the problem more than once. She pulled up entry and exit logs. Some of the repairs happened after Jack and Ianto left. The hub listed the changes but not who made them.

“Jack,” Gwen said over the ear com.

“What’s wrong?”

She quickly explained what she found. 

“Check Ianto’s office.”

Gwen’s hands flew over the keyboard. “It’s has been renamed ‘eye candy.’”

Jack replied, “John’s in the hub.”

That scared her more than she wanted to admit. It reminded her of his previous visits to Cardiff years earlier. He left her for dead. “He’s fixing the computer?”

“For now.” Jack added, “When I spoke to John, he was sober.”

That wasn’t reassuring. “Why would he come to the hub?” Gwen took a deep breath. The anxiety clouded her judgment. He had to have been there when she arrived. He couldn’t have entered or left without her seeing him. If he wanted to harm her, he would have tried already.

“Check Ianto’s notes. If John renamed Ianto’s office, he probably did something.”

It didn’t take long to find. “Ianto cut off his remote access.” Gwen noticed she wasn’t the only one who accessed the files. “He went through the repair list Ianto created.” The garden was the easiest to check. “And fixed the energy shield around the carnivorous plants.” Pause. “Why?”

“He probably came to fix his access and checked the upgrades.” 

Gwen nodded. She needed to focus on the immediate problem. John could wait. “Cory was followed from London.” While she wasn’t confident about information from the police databases, she had basic driver information from the number plates. “The cars belong to a private security company.”

“See if they have connections to Moss-Probert.”

“Yeah.” An insane idea came to mind as Gwen tried to think of the best approach. 

 

John Hart reached for the tablet after it chimed. He assumed it was another notification. Instead he found a message from Gwen addressed to “eye candy.” With instructions. He stared at it a moment before laughing. She had the same attitude as Anwen. Your wish is my command, he replied wishing her could see her reaction.

Amused, John quickly found her list. Then checked the notes that went with it. She wanted Moss-Probert connections. And someone interfered. He took a couple minutes to understand her reasoning. You’re thinking like a constable not a criminal, he concluded. Fake backgrounds had tells. Anyone creating them took that into consideration. Law enforcement experience would catch obvious ones like unrealistic crime progression. 

John quickly moved through the lists. The deceased Moss-Probert employees were clean or their backgrounds had been sanitized. Possible criminal connections was more interesting. Undercover police officers were usually the hardest to spot. He found three. Several more had implausible prison records. Two were definitely informants. A few more might be government specialists or spies based in London. Someone wasn’t throwing petty criminals at her. 

“Computer, activate intercom.” It clicked. “Gwen, how did you create this list of possible associates?”

Gwen hesitated a moment. “Direct and indirect connections to the facility over the last several years. Any supply or service company employees with criminal records. Any possible criminal connections. Parking tickets near the facility.” Pause. “Moss-Probert has no public company listings. I tried to search tax records and was disconnected from the system.”

“MP is under investigation by multiple branches of law enforcement or someone set you up to anger everyone from Scotland Yard to Interpol.” John explained what he found.

Gwen groaned. “Someone reprogrammed the local databases to interfere with Torchwood.”

“Do you know what company handles on-site repairs for government computers?”

“I will find out.”

“By tomorrow morning, the computer problem will be fixed. Or I will need to access the databases directly.” John hoped the situation wasn’t that bad.

 

** Rhamantus yn Gyfrinachol **

Jack Harkness sat with his back to the bed frame, fully clothed, with his coat hanging on the bedpost. Cory slept with his face against Jack’s leg. He used his mobile to keep in touch and do basic online searches. They still didn’t know what they were dealing with. 

It rang. “Find something?”

“Yeah. My friend with Rega called back. No hostage. A group of drunk young people with too much money.” Owen paused, listening to Tosh in the background. “Tosh traced the instruction messages Cory received to a security company.” 

Jack explained what Gwen found.

“Tosh sent it to the hub now,” Owen said. “We’re going home.”

“Have a good night.”

“Good night,” Tosh said. And the call ended.

“Good news?” Cory shifted.

“Yeah.” Jack swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

Cory sat up. “We can leave?”

“The hotel. You need to stay in Cardiff, with Torchwood, until this is resolved.” 

Cory doesn’t like that idea. “I can arrange for personal security.”

“It may not be over yet.” Jack couldn’t help but wonder if Cory was unintentionally involved. He had impressive friends in London, including the fake hostage’s great grandfather. The person who planned it didn’t care, had permission or a combination of those. That suggested there was a lot more to it.

“Ianto won’t like that.”

Jack didn’t look for the inevitable conversation.


	7. Chapter 7

** Near Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales **

Steven Carter watched the men receive a mobile call and retreat. While that looked good on the surface, the duo hadn’t accomplished anything. That benefited them. They attracted both Torchwood and The Sisters. But there was no indication they knew that. It was possible they learned the extortion attempt failed. He knew he was missing something.

Steven flipped open his wrist-strap. “John Hart.” 

“News?” he sounded distracted.

“The men are retreating.”

“Any indication of a back-up plan?” John asked.

That was one of the things that bothered Steven. “No.”

“Gwen is researching Moss-Probert. There could be a connection to the situation she was discussing with Jack.” 

“What if this wasn’t about Anwen?” Steven asked. She wasn’t the only one in the building. “What if they anticipated a different response? Jack sent Gwen to the hub. Wouldn’t he normally ask tad-cu and leave Gwen with her family for the night?”

“They might have expected Ianto to return to handle the computer disruption.” John sounded uncertain. “If they want leverage and don’t know about Anwen’s wrist-strap, the goal might have been grabbing whoever they could. Even Rhys. Getting information on us and response times would be a bonus.”

“I don’t think they were prepared to breach security.” Although Steven checked himself, the information came initially from Eilene. She distracted him which made anything she told him suspect.

“There’s a possibility we haven’t considered.”

An idea occurred to Steven as he listened. “Maybe they don’t know anything about Torchwood. They’re operating on rumors and assumptions.” He didn’t want to think what would happen if someone abducted tad-cu. Not that it was likely.

“If that’s true, someone has been protecting MP.”

“Access the police database and look for unusual homicides days before and after the facility was destroyed.” That was another possibility they overlooked.

“Charon isn’t subtle.”

Steven agreed. “His priority is rescues. They could have sent someone else.” 

“Stay there. We don’t know this is over yet.”

It’s not, Steven thought. Corporations involved in unethical research were determined. He’d seen the levels of insanity and depravity he could only describe as evil. Stupid didn’t lessen the threat. It could make them more unpredictable. 

 

Ianto Jones stood in the kitchen eying his mobile. Frustrated with the secrets, he’d cleaned. It gave him something to do. With nothing left to scrub, and too much caffeine, he was jittery. If he couldn’t focus soon, he’d start on the bathroom next. 

“Do you know what happened?” Rhys asked quietly as he left the main room.

“No.” It had something to with Cory’s call. Which was the primary source of Ianto’s anger. “Jack met with an informant. Some type of emergency.” 

“I thought they were together.” Rhys sounded angry about that.

“No.” They were both hopeless, Ianto concluded. 

The computer chimed in the office. Ianto set his mug down and walked around Rhys. Ianto hoped it was work. He needed something to do before he started imagining scenarios that increased the jealousy. Even if Jack was with Cory, it was simply sex. A concept Ianto never managed to accept. But he agreed to it. 

The final argument before the compromise came to mind as Ianto walked through the main room. And passed Anwen sleeping on the sofa. He demanded a commitment, and used words that were both ignorant and hurtful. Jack’s counterargument involved his birth culture, and was no less angry or offensive. They finally agreed that there was no way either of them could adapt to the other’s ideal relationship. If they wanted to be together, they had to find a way to make incompatible needs work.

Ianto remembered looking up wedding information. At rare times when he still thought about it, he could picture it. He hoped Jack would agree some day. Although Ianto suspected, as he walked around the desk, that would probably be a hundred years or more down the road. Immortality and commitment issues, Ianto shook his head. Life with Jack was never boring. 

The computer chimed again. One of the new tablets flashed an email icon. Unless it was an unrelated case, it wasn’t work. Jack and Gwen would have texted or called. He tapped the icon. Instead of a text message, it was a video. Homemade video. The angle was weird. 

Jack, Ianto thought a moment before realizing what he was looking at. The nausea hit, sending Ianto rushing to the bathroom. He lost supper and his balance. He held onto the sink to keep from falling. 

“Uncle Ianto?” Anwen asked, sounding worried, as she hurried into the office.

“The video is dangerous,” Ianto warned. It was the only thing he could think of that might keep Anwen from viewing it. She was too young to recognize the sounds.

No matter how many times Ianto told himself that his reaction was the purpose of sending him the video, he couldn’t help it. He leaned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He couldn’t get the image out of his head. Knowing Jack had sex with other people and seeing it were two very different things.

Rhys stepped into the doorway holding the tablet upside-down. He’d obviously seen it, and turned it off. “Gwen said there might be an attack tonight,” his tone had changed from earlier. “That’s what this is.”

Ianto nodded. 

“Someone wants to disrupt the office.”

Ianto disagreed. “My relationship with Jack.” Compromise or no compromise, it was going to take time to get that video out of his head. 

Rhys gave it a moment. “If it was Gwen, I wouldn’t puke. I’d break things. Most people would.” Pause. “How would Gwen react if it was me?”

“She’d shoot you.” That was the expected response, Ianto knew. He suspected based on mistakes Rhys didn’t know about that Gwen would handle it differently. She might even forgive him. Which supported the point Rhys was trying to make. Unless the person who sent the video knew them, they would assume typical reactions.


	8. Chapter 8

** Hughes Flats; Cardiff, Wales **

** Thursday, August 4, 2021 **

Gwen Cooper stood on another side of the bed as Rhys dressed. When she came back last night, she expected anger. Possibly jealousy. He commented before she returned to the hub that she was spending too much time alone with Jack. She understood how her friendship and work relationship with him could be misunderstood. They had seen and done things that no one else would understand. It was the nature of Torchwood.

“What is it?”

“I think we have problems.” It was a statement rather than an accusation. “You didn’t see Ianto after he saw that video.” Rhys shook his head. “I don’t know how he deals with it.”

“They talked it out.” Gwen knew it was a lot more complicated. To make it work, Ianto ignored the obvious and Jack kept secrets.

“Anwen knows something happened. Ianto told her the video was dangerous. I don’t think she looked at it.” Rhys exhaled sharply. “I don’t know what to tell her.”

“I will talk to her.” Gwen had no idea what to say, but the affect on Ianto was still obvious. Anwen would notice. She was perceptive enough to recognize adult relationship problems. Sex tapes and polyamorous relationships were not covered in books on how to explain sex to your kid. Consent at least was covered. That might come up. There was no way Jack agreed to that video.

“I’m sorry…” Rhys trailed off. 

For being a jealous idiot, Gwen thought. “How’s Cadoc?”

“Not good. He’s blaming himself for the divorce.”

That was another conversation Gwen expected to have with Anwen soon. How did one explain Gold-diggers to a nine-year-old? With Jack, it came down to being raised in a different culture. Ianto accepted their differences as best he could. A woman using men for money was something she didn’t understand.

 

Jack Harkness waited outside the back door. With everything happening, they needed one team not two. Steven walked around the garage with an expression similar to the night they met at the pub. He had no idea what to say. After everything Jack had seen working with the Time Agency, traveling with the Doctor, and working for Torchwood, meeting the future version of his grandson was not that shocking. 

“John said you recognized me.”

Finding out Steven worked with John was going to take longer to process. “The teenage version of you spent a week with me and Ianto last December.” The similarity was impossible to miss.

“Mom’s appendix surgery.” Steven smiled. “She blamed tad-cu for being transferred to Torchwood London. I never told her it was me.”

“Tad-cu? Welsh?”

“For grandfather. I asked him once. To piss off mum.” Pause. “Anything involving you set her off.” 

Jack could picture that. Alyce would hate it. “Is that why you joined Torchwood?”

“No.”

For another time, Jack thought. “Are you coping?”

Steven shrugged.  “I don’t know if you’ve ever lived with John, but I want to kill him.” 

Jack laughed, hoping the humor helped. “He has that effect.”

“I need time to adjust.”

“It helps to have someone to talk to.” Jack could see what had John concerned. Steven was burning out. The destruction of his time line was enormous. But coming back into his own lifetime with a mission to save the world had to be overwhelming. 

“Right now I need some time.”

Jack understood. Arriving in Victorian times near drove him over the edge. “Stay in touch.”

Steven nodded and walked away. Jack watched him go and wondered if he should have said or done something differently. People coped differently. He was self-destructive in the early years. He hoped Steven handled it better. Without a better option, Jack knew he needed to ask John for updates. Trusting him made Jack uneasy. Too much had happened.

 

John Hart checked the security system he installed in the small basement storage room. The unexpected video last night forced him to reconsider what they were dealing with. It could be interpreted that the person responsible expected a different response. The video’s original blackmail target could have been someone other than Jack. There were a lot of unlikely possibilities that could explain it. 

The door opened as he finished the final diagnostic. Anwen stepped into the doorway armed. This time she was upset, gripping her unneeded weapons too tightly. She looked stressed rather than scared. Last night had that unfortunate effect on all of them.

“No one will tell me what happened.”

John logged out of the system. “They don’t know how to explain.”

“Yeah.”

John stood. “Some topics are difficult to talk about.” Particularly with kids. “Someone hurt Ianto intentionally.” When Jack found them they would see a side of him few on Earth knew existed.

“The video.” Anwen hesitated. “What was it?”

“That’s a question to ask your mother.”

Anwen groaned. “She’s probably looking for a book on how to explain it to her kid.” Pause. “You’re like Uncle Jack. You see things differently.”

It was a conversation John didn’t want to have. For numerous reasons. “Did you see it?”

“No. I guessed. Some older boys had porn at school.”

John closed his eyes. While it was true that his and Jack’s culture was significantly less repressed than the current one, there were still topics that weren’t easy to discuss. John had no idea what to say. If the woman he knew was any indication, the child wouldn’t accept a deflection.

“It wasn’t just porn. Uncle Ianto got sick.”

She already knows, John realized. He turned and looked at her. Wishing there was a way to pass the conversation on to Gwen. “What do you think it was?”

“Uncle Jack. Nothing else would upset Ianto that much.”

John hesitated, trying to think of the best way to say it. “Someone use a video camera without Jack’s permission. Years ago.”

“It’s a mind game? To make Ianto think Jack’s unfaithful. And try to break them up.”

“It won’t work.” John wondered if she wanted reassurance. If Anwen already knew what the video was an why, she didn’t need to ask questions.

Anwen nodded. “Why do people care? If people stopped trying to own each other, they’re argue less.”

“This isn’t about the video.”

“Dad’s friend is getting a divorce. It’s making dad act stupid.”

That was why she approached him. “He’s afraid of losing your mum.”

“To Uncle Jack.” Anwen found that idea crazy. “They both have to be in charge. It couldn’t work.”

John couldn’t help it. He laughed.

“Am I wrong?”

“No.” 

“Why can’t dad see it?”


End file.
